Story by Sushil Cheema and Heamakarn Sricharatchanya

Although most people are not familiar with underground film festivals, they abound across the country. These festivals have been around the United States for over a decade, and they are gradually spreading to more and more cities.

Some of the oldest festivals are the New York Underground Film Festival and the Chicago Underground Film Festival, both of which are celebrating their 13th anniversaries this year. The newest one is the Twin Cities Underground Film Festival, which will take place for the first time in September.

“The biggest festival is the one in New York, and the second biggest is the one in Chicago,” said David Kleiler, the founder and artistic director of the Boston Underground Film Festival, now on its 8th year. “After that, it’s very hard to tell.”

Kleiler, who has over 30 years of experience in independent film industry, started the Boston Underground Film Festival in 1998 after he ran an all-night one there in1997. Films shown at the all-night film festival were alternative documentary, classic and experimental.

“Boston is a very good film town but there is no showcase for genuinely alternative films. That’s why I started the annual underground festival,” said Kleiler. To him, films that are considered underground are “not mainstream” and must be “provocative enough.”

Although there are many underground festivals around the country, Kleiler said his festival is different from others. “We don’t have as many sleazy films as other underground film festivals,” he said. “Also, we don’t avoid political controversy.”

Kleiler recalled the 4th festival when the infamous film by Chris Korda called “I Like To Watch” was on show. The film, he said, is about 9/11. “It shows planes in and out of buildings with a guy masturbating in front of an American flag,” he said. “A person was so mad at the film that he pulled the cassette off and broke it.” Kleiler said he himself did not like the film but showed it anyway because “it’s thought provoking.”

While presenting political controversy is the highlight of Boston Underground Film Festival, the Brooklyn Underground Film Festival is underground for different reasons. Josh Koury, co-founder and programming director of Brooklyn Underground Film Festival said his festival represents underground cinema. “We celebrate super-low budget films, personal films, crazy films or films that are very off-beat,” said Josh Koury, co-founder and programming directr of the Brooklyn Underground Film Festival.

According to Koury, three founders started the Brooklyn festival in 2002. “I started it because I felt there was something missing in film festivals in New York – they were underrepresented here,” said Koury who also programs the Hamptons International Film Festival, a larger, well-known one that screens mainstream films. “So besides the film works, we create an atmosphere that is different from others.” Instead of renting a real cinema, the group rents a non-traditional space and builds its own cinema there. “It’s not a video projector and a bar,” he said. This year’s festival, like last year, will be held at the Brooklyn Lyceum, a performance space, in April.

Photo by Sushil Cheema

Josh Koury, co-founder and programming director of Brooklyn Underground Film Festival

The highlight of the festival, Koury said, is the programming which has different highlights, like a comedy short night, each day. “The festival is for young adults who like to go out for a drink and watch crazy cinemas,” he said.